Bricco Rocche Winery

Family origins and the turn toward estate vineyards

Ceretto’s family wine business began in Alba in 1937, when Riccardo Ceretto, originally from Valdivilla in Santo Stefano Belbo, established Casa Vinicola Ceretto. He owned no vineyards and initially made wine from purchased grapes. The direction changed after his sons Bruno and Marcello entered the business. Inspired by the vineyard-specific model they had observed in Burgundy, they argued that the identity of the land should be central to production. During the 1960s they mapped the sites yielding the strongest results and began acquiring vineyards in the Langhe and Roero, including crus in Barolo and Barbaresco.

Acquisition of Bricco Rocche and construction of the winery

By the mid-1970s the Ceretto family had secured exclusive ownership of Bricco Rocche, the smallest MGA in Barolo. The family chronology places the acquisition of the cru and the beginning of construction of its associated winery in the 1978–1982 period. The building stands on top of the Bricco Rocche vineyard in Castiglione Falletto and was conceived specifically to vinify grapes from the family’s estate-owned vineyards within the Barolo denomination.

The winery was completed in 1982, the same year as the debut of Barolo Bricco Rocche. Over time it became the dedicated vinification and ageing site for six Barolo crus: Bricco Rocche and Rocche di Castiglione in Castiglione Falletto, Brunate in La Morra, Bussia in Monforte d’Alba, Prapò in Serralunga d’Alba and Cannubi San Lorenzo in Barolo.

Vineyard development and generational transition

Gianluigi Marengo joined the agricultural business in 1987 and worked alongside Marcello Ceretto in managing 11 hectares of Nebbiolo already in production. In 1991 he oversaw the planting of 4,147 m² in Rocche di Castiglione. That parcel later became a separately identified Barolo, with 2018 recorded as its first production year.

In 1999 the third generation—Lisa, Roberta, Alessandro and Federico, the children of Bruno and Marcello—entered the family company. In the same year, the family commissioned Sol LeWitt and David Tremlett to transform the chapel in the Brunate vineyard, creating its first contemporary-art initiative.

The 2000 modernisation and the Cube

Bricco Rocche required functional modernisation in 2000. The work proceeded in two directions: underground spaces were enlarged to provide more room for the Barolo of the hill to rest, while the transparent glass Cube was erected above ground. The intervention expanded the winery while deliberately integrating a modern structure into the surrounding vineyard landscape. The Cube subsequently became one of the family’s architectural symbols in Barolo.

At the beginning of the 2000s, the family acquired the summit parcel of Cannubi San Lorenzo. Its first production year is recorded as 2003. The parcel is the highest part of the Cannubi hill, is exceptionally small and contains a central section of very old vines.

Lower-intervention production and organic conversion

After oenology school and professional experience in Australia, California, France and South Africa, Alessandro Ceretto joined the company in the early 2000s. He concluded that standard oenological recipes obscured the individual identity of the Langhe’s vineyards. In 2008 he began fermenting the crus without selected yeasts, progressively establishing a pied de cuve method. At the same time, the cellars increasingly reduced the use of new wood to avoid covering each wine’s own aroma and tannic profile.

All Ceretto vineyards entered conversion to organic agriculture in 2010. The change reshaped vineyard management around greater respect for the soil, grapes and people. From the 2015 vintage, the wines obtained organic certification. Bussia also records 2015 as its first production year.

Art and the contemporary estate

In 2012 the family commissioned Langhe artist Valerio Berruti to create Ovunque proteggimi (Protect Me Everywhere), a steel entrance gate for Bricco Rocche. Its embracing figures and open, sinuous design frame the vineyard, the Cube and Serralunga Castle rather than blocking the view. The commission also reflects the family’s long-standing residence at Bricco Rocche.

Today Bricco Rocche remains the family’s dedicated winery for the vinification and ageing of its six named Barolo crus, under the collective direction of the third generation and the technical leadership of Alessandro Ceretto.

Bricco Rocche’s vineyards form a cross-section of the Barolo denomination, extending through Castiglione Falletto, La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba and Barolo. Their differing soils, elevations and aspects underpin the estate’s emphasis on micro-territorial identity.

At Castiglione Falletto, the 1.46-ha Bricco Rocche MGA occupies the centre of the appellation between Villero and Rocche di Castiglione. The vineyard lies at 350–370 m and turns from southeast to southwest. Its Diano Sandstone soils contain substantial proportions of sand, silt and clay. The adjacent Rocche di Castiglione is dramatically steep, with a cool southeastern exposure, lean and loose soils, and mother rock frequently reaching the surface. Forest occupies the foot of the slope.

Brunate lies between La Morra and Barolo. The broader 28-ha MGA faces south to southeast and rises from about 230 m to more than 400 m. Its Tortonian soils are characterized by Sant’Agata Fossili marls, with more sand toward the upper hill. The Ceretto holding comprises two substantial parcels, principally near the Barolo Chapel.

Bussia is one of Barolo’s largest MGAs and contains numerous subzones shaped by variations in soil composition, altitude and exposure. The winery works several parcels in its central, historically renowned sector.

Prapò occupies the eastern side of Serralunga d’Alba between Baudana and the village. The vineyard faces south to southeast at 270–380 m and looks toward Alta Langa. Its Lequio Formation soils contain a high proportion of silt and clay, exceeding 30%. Although the soil is rich, the exposure is cool, slowing ripening. Harvest can fall more than ten days later than on Barolo’s western side, supporting slow phenolic development.

Cannubi San Lorenzo crowns the highest part of the Cannubi hill. Its east-to-southeast exposure, elevation above 315 m and good ventilation promote useful temperature variation. The soils are sandy Sant’Agata Fossili marls. The Ceretto parcel occupies the summit and contains a central section of exceptionally old vines.

All Ceretto vineyards began conversion to organic agriculture in 2010, and all wines obtained organic certification from the 2015 vintage. A substantial portion of the vineyards had already been managed according to biodynamic principles from the 2009 vintage.

The agricultural program is inspired by Steiner’s philosophy and treats soil health as the basis of vine health. Insecticides and fertilizers were progressively eliminated. Cover crops are sown between rows as green manure, supporting soil fertility and biodiversity while helping resist erosion. Alternate-row cultivation limits compaction.

Earlier detailed practice included minimal applications of copper and sulfur against downy and powdery mildew and natural pyrethrum against insects. Biodynamic preparations 500 and 501—horn manure and horn silica—were dynamized before application, alongside other homeopathic solutions intended to improve soil vitality and stimulate photosynthesis. Estate compost was prepared from manure matured in piles and inoculated with biodynamic preparations.

The program rejects a uniform recipe for every site. Observation of each parcel guides the choice of cover-crop species and other soil practices. Experiments are evaluated over long periods: results may not become visible in an ageworthy bottled wine until seven and a half years after harvest, and the family allows at least fifteen years before confirming conclusions.

Cannubi San Lorenzo receives an especially traditional form of cultivation without mechanical assistance. Prapò’s cool position naturally delays maturation, sometimes by more than ten days compared with the western side of Barolo, allowing slow phenolic development.

Built in 1982 on top of the Bricco Rocche vineyard, the Castiglione Falletto winery is dedicated to vinifying and ageing fruit from six estate-owned Barolo crus. A functional renovation in 2000 expanded the underground spaces where the Barolo of the hill rests and added the glass Cube above ground.

From 2008, Alessandro Ceretto began fermenting the crus without selected yeasts. The method developed around a pied de cuve used to initiate fermentation. Fermentation and skin maceration coincide and last approximately 20 days; the carbon dioxide released during fermentation naturally protects the must.

New wood has been progressively reduced over approximately two decades. This follows the same lower-intervention principle as the fermentations: new barrels can impose aromas and tannins that cover the individual scent and character of a vineyard. The cellar’s role is to accompany each wine and provide the conditions for its site to emerge rather than directing it toward a predetermined or fashionable style.

The family defines terroir as the dialogue among soil, climate, vineyard position and the people who cultivate the vines. Its goal is to create the conditions in which each site can express its own character rather than steering the wine toward a predetermined style.

This approach is described as “work by subtraction.” It arose from Alessandro Ceretto’s conclusion that standardized oenological recipes can produce technically correct wines while obscuring the uniqueness of terroir. Selected yeasts, invasive cellar interventions and the aromas or tannins of new wood were therefore reduced or removed from the process.

In the vineyard, Steiner-inspired work seeks an equilibrium modeled on natural ecosystems. Biodiversity, living soil and long-term vine health take precedence over specialization and short-term production. The family regards both vineyard and cellar work as an evolving process rather than a formula.

The program is not framed simply as a return to tradition. It deliberately avoids allowing temporary market or oenological fashions—such as emphases on barrique, concentration or sweetness—to dilute identity. Decisions are tested over the long lifespan of both vines and ageworthy wines.

A more recent motto, “give voice to differences,” expresses the move toward increasingly precise study and separate presentation of micro-terroirs, exemplified by the release of Rocche di Castiglione from the classic Barolo blend. Family governance is collegial and based on a shared vision, with responsibility entrusted to people possessing the relevant expertise.